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Entries from January 2016

Burrard Bridge traffic stats posted

July 31st, 2009 · 91 Comments

Let the deconstructionist analysis begin. The city has posted the first round of stats on car, bike and pedestrian traffic on the bridge, noting that bike traffic is up 30 per cent, pedestrian is steady and car flows are fluctuating after a 10 per cent drop in the first days. And, so as not to […]

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Musing about NPA mayoral candidate begins

July 30th, 2009 · 9 Comments

The folks over at the Georgia Straight had this interesting item about park board commissioner Ian Robertson thinking aloud about running as the mayoral candidate for the Non-Partisan Association next time around. It’s actually not too early to start planning for that — a bare year and a half away, really, or only 18 Critical […]

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Vancouver’s HR manager latest to quit

July 29th, 2009 · 30 Comments

Well, all I can say is Yikes. One more city manager bails, Kevin Ramsay, the recently hired head of HR. He’d replaced Mike Zora, who had become the object of union unhappiness, and from what I had heard, was doing a good job and managing to calm things down a little. But not any more. […]

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BC PacifiCats sold to Abu Dhabi; TransLink, Ferries review ordered

July 28th, 2009 · 11 Comments

It was a busy day at council, but I was working on another project and then, later in the afternoon, ended up SkyTraining it out to Metrotown for yet more news breaking there: the province’s announcement that it is reviewing the governance, finances and jurisdiction of our two transportation agencies. Then, after getting the info […]

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Laneway house vote today

July 28th, 2009 · 21 Comments

Vancouver council is expected to approve laneway houses today, which will give 65,000 homeowners in the city’s RS1 and RS5 (single-family) zones the right to build a 750-square-foot house at the back of their lots. I have a story on this move, which others across the country are watching with some interest and some bemusement, […]

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Mixed-use project on industrial land gets support from several quarters

July 24th, 2009 · 24 Comments

Vancouver city staff have unequivocally indicated that they don’t support the project that PCI’s Andrew Grant is proposing for next door to the new Marine Drive SkyTrain station, a mixed-used development with two towers — one market condos, one rental — office space, a cineplex and a plaza. Head city planner Brent Toderian emphasized that […]

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The debate over Vancouver’s 2010 bylaws

July 22nd, 2009 · 48 Comments

In another ring of the Vancouver city hall circus these days, the city’s proposed bylaw changes to noise, graffiti and other bylaws is generating all kinds of heat and light. Here’s just one small sample of the exchanges going on. —–Original Message—– From: Michael Healey Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:39 AM To: Anton, Suzanne; […]

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Mayors tussle with province to get new money

July 22nd, 2009 · 7 Comments

The vehicle levy, now known as the transportation improvement levy, is back on the table, for those who didn’t know. Metro mayors, who have to decide by October whether to approve a substantially improved new transit system — on that Premier Gordon Campbell said they were going to build — are struggling to figure out […]

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Density around SkyTrain or industrial land?

July 22nd, 2009 · 14 Comments

Amid the deluge of reports coming to council this week and next is an interesting one that essentially poses the question to council on what to do about the site that PCI has bought next to the new Southeast Marine Drive SkyTrain station. It’s been an article of faith among people committed to building sustainable […]

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Laneway housing speakers extend to second night

July 22nd, 2009 · 7 Comments

It is a busy week at council (and going to continue to be busy — council meetings have been scheduled for next week as well because of the heavy pre-August break load of business) and one of the busier meetings was the public hearing last night. Secondary suites inside apartments were approved, but the hearing […]

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